Machines for applying sliders to slide fasteners

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a machine for applying sliders to a slide fastener blank in the form of two continuous tapes with interengaging rows of fastening elements alternating with blank zones where a slit is formed between the tapes. The machine comprises a pair of spreading legs, the ends of which lie close together to form a wedge capable of penetrating through the slit between the tapes and thereafter being movable away from each other to spread the tapes apart for receiving a slider therebetween. The machine also comprises a spreading finger introducible between the tapes to spread them further apart so as to initiate disengagement of the fastening elements first entering into the slider upon continuation of the feeding movement of the blank.

United States Patent MACHINES FOR APPLYING SLIDERS TO SLIDE FASTENERS 5 Claims, 16 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 29/20'/ SI, Int. Cl 823p 19/04 Field of Search 29/2075,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,879,588 3/1959 Morin 29/408 Primary ExaminerThomas H. Eager AttorneyWatson, Cole, Grindle & Watson ABSTRACT: The invention relates to a machine for applying sliders to a slide fastener blank in the form of two continuous tapes with interengaging rows of fastening elements altemating with blank zones where a slit is formed between the tapes. The machine comprises a pair of spreading legs, the ends of which lie close together to form a wedge capable of penetrating through the slit between the tapes and thereafter being movable away from each other to spread the tapes apart for receiving a slider therebetween. The machine also comprises a spreading finger introducible between the tapes to spread them further apart so as to initiate disengagement of the fastening elements first entering into the slider upon continuation of the feeding movement of the blank.

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! SHEET 5 OF 9 INVENTOR BY mbzihb {M} zalZimu ATTORNEY PATENTEU M1824 H?! 3.600? 86 sum 6 OF 9 umlnnnlnnc g INVENTOR INVENTOR ATTORNEY MACHINES FOR APPLYING SLIDERS TO SLIDE FASTENERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a machine for applying sliders to slide fasteners. v

According to modern mass production methods slide fasteners are usually produced in the form of a blank comprising a pair of continuous tapes carrying pairs of interlocking rows of fastening elements, said pairs of rows being arranged with free intervals therebetween where no fastening elements are provided so that in these intervals the two tapes are separated by a slit. Up to that point the production may be fully automatic and continuous, and the same applies to the application of bottom stops at one end of each pair of interlocking rows of fastening elements. It is therefore desirable that also the application of sliders to the individual slide fasteners should be carried out automatically while maintaining the slide fasteners in the form of a continuous blank.

Machines for this purpose have been proposed, see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,1 16,544, in which the slide fastener blank is fed forward in a substantially rectilinear path and is temporarily stopped each time an interval between interlocking rows of fastening elements arrives in an operating position, where the tapes are then spread apart and a slider is inserted between the spread apart tapes whereupon the movement of the blank is restarted to force the tapes laterally into the guide passages of the slider and thereafter to slide the tapes along these passages until the next following pair of interlocking rows of fastening elements arrive at the slider and are then separated and pulled a certain distance through one and the other guide passage respectively.

The invention relates to a machine working on this general principle and has for its object to provide simple and reliable means for carrying out the operations described, particularly for spreading the tapes apart and for moving the slider into correct position between the spread apart tapes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, a machine for applying sliders to slide fastener blanks of the type referred to comprises means for longitudinally moving a slide fastener blank in a substantially rectilinear path, means for immobilizing said blank in a position where a free interval of said blank is present in an operating zone, a pair of spreading legs movable transversely of the plane of said blank in between the tapes present in said operating zone and then spreadable apart, said spreading legs being placed side by side and having wedge shaped ends suitable, when lying close together, for penetrating through the slit between said tapes, slider feeding means for moving a slider into position between said tapes when spread apart and for holding said slider in said position, means for thereafter restarting the longitudinal movement of said blank, thereby forcing said tapes into the lateral slits of said slider, and means for temporarily spreading said tapes further apart ahead of said slider.

It has been found that spreading fingers of the character described, which are caused to penetrate through the slit between the tapes and are then spread apart, form a very reliable and precise spreading means, which is not likely to damage the tapes and which occupies a minimum of space along the path of movement of the tapes. Moreover, it has been found that the use of additional spreading means ahead of the slider will greatly facilitate the disengagement of the fastening members first passing into the slider, thereby ensuring smooth operation of the machine.

Preferably, according to the invention, the spreading means and the slider feeding means are arranged for direct cooperation to place the slider in correct position between the tapes and to hold it in this position when the longitudinal movement of the blank is restarted.

The invention also comprises means permitting the application of sliders with a spring lock, means being provided for releasing the spring lock while the slider is held in the operating zone and the blank is advanced.

Further features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a machine according to one embodiment of the invention in side view with a partial section to show restoring means for a spring lock releasing device forming part of the machine,

FIG. 2 a section through the apparatus substantially along the line II-II in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 a vertical longitudinal section through the machine with some of the parts shown in other positions than in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 a plan view of the machine in a first operating phase, all parts located above the slide fastener blank, except the blank feeding means, being omitted,

FIG. 5 a side view of the machine in a second phase of operation,

FIG. 6 a side view of the machine in a third phase of operation,

FIG. 7 an end view of the machine in said third phase of operation,

FIG. 8 a side view of the machine in a fourth phase of operation,

FIG. 9 a side view of the machine in a fifth phase of operation, the lower portion of the spreading legs being broken away,

FIG. 10 an end view of the machine in said fifth phase of operation,

FIG. 11 a plan view of the machine in said fifth phase of operation,

FIG. 12 a side view of the machine in a sixth phase of operation, the lower portion of the spreading legs being broken away,

FIG. 13 a plan view of the machine in a seventh phase of operation,

FIG. 14 a plan view of the machine in an eighth phase of operation,

FIG. 15 a side view of the machine in a ninth phase of operation, the lower portion of the spreading legs being broken away, g

FIG. 16 a plan view of the machine in said ninth phase of operation.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In the drawing, 1 is the frame of the machine, said frame consisting of an upper part 2 and a lower part 3. The upper part 2, FIGS. 1 and 3, is composed of a plurality of sections, in which are formed guides 4, 5 and 6 for a secondary spreading finger 7, a primary spreading device 8 and an operating member 9 for the latter, respectively. The upper end of the spreading finger 7 is connected with a piston rod 10 of a pneumatic cylinder 11, which, like the other parts of the machine, are controlled by a program device (not shown). The lower end of the spreading finger 7 is wedge-shaped and has an edge 12 located in position above the slit 13 between two tapes l4 and 15 of aslide fastener blank. The tapes are shown in FIG. 4. When the piston rod 10 is in its bottom position, the spreading finger 7 assumes the position shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 where it spreads the tapes l4 and I5 apart.

The spreading device 8 comprises two legs 16 and 17, see FIGS. 7 and 10, of rectangular cross section. The legs 16 and 17 are pivotable transversely of the pathof the slide fastener blank about pinions I8 and I9, which are mounted on the operating member 9, the latter comprising a rectangular rod 20, the upper end of which is engaged by a head 21 on the end of a piston rod 22 of a pneumatic cylinder 23. The rod 20 has an axial bore 24, in which a compression spring 25 is mounted, the lower end of which engages the bottom 26 of the guide 6, while its upper end engages the bottom 27 of the bore 24. In an alternative embodiment the spring 25 is omitted, the cylinder 23 being in that case double-acting.

The lower ends of the legs 16 and 17 are wedge-shaped and in the-closed position of the tape spreading device 8 lie close togetherxto form a wedgehaving concave outer faces 28 and 29. When the tape spreading device 8 is moved from its top position, FIG. 5, to its bottom position, FIGS. 6 and 7, the edge 30 of the wedge penetrates through the slit 13. The inner faces of the legs 16 and 17 are constructed with guiding surfaces 31 and 32, FIG. 7, which in the closed position of the device form a cylindrical surface, the upper portion 33 of which is circular, and the lower portion of which consists of two plane surfaces 34 and 35 forming tangents to the circular section, the two plane surfaces 34 and 35 forming a wedge tapering downwards.

On the frame 1 there is also mounted a pneumatic cylinder 36, FIGS. 1 and 3, the piston rod 37 of which is connected with a key member 38, which is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the slide fastener blank. The key member 38 consists of a cylindrical portion 39, at the front end 40 of which there is provided a stop in the form of a downwardly directed cam 41. The cylindrical portion 39 and the cam 41 are narrower than the opening formed by the guiding surfaces 31 and 32 and the key member 38 can therefore be pushed into the tape spreading device 8 even when this is in its closed position. At that time the tape-spreading device 8 assumes its bottom position. Y

On the upper side of the frame part 3 there is mounted a fixed guiding block 42, FIG. 2, and a movable guiding block 43. Both guiding blocks 42 and 43 have plane top faces. The guiding block 43 is pivotable in a horizontal plane about a pin 44. In the combined plane upper face of the guiding blocks 42 and 43 there is provided a groove 45, the width of which is slightly greater than the width of the interlocking fastening elements and increases slightly in the direction of movement of the slide fastener blank. At the entrance end 46 for the slide fastener blank, the groove 45 is widened. When the guiding block 43 is turned in the clockwise direction about the pin 44, which occurs when the bottom stop 96, FIGS. 4, of a slide fastener passes from the entrance end 46 into the groove 45, the guiding block 43 releases a pulse for initiating the operating cycle of the machine. This is symbolically illustrated by a closed switch .47, FIG. 4. A spring 48 restores the guiding block in the anticlockwise direction. The slide fastener blank is prevented from escaping from the groove 45 by means of two upper blocks 49 and 50, FIG. 7, which together with the guiding blocks 42 and 43 form a closed guide for the slide fastener blank.

The slide fastener blank is fed forward by means of driving members pulling the slide fastener blank through the machine.

The driving members comprise frictional rollers 51 and 52 engaging the upper face of the blank and cooperating frictional rollers 53 and 54 engaging the underface of the blank. The frictional rollers are driven by an electric motor (not shown) by way of a chain drive 55, a coupling 56 and an electric brake 57, see FIG. 4.

In the frame part 3 there is provided a vertical guide 58 for a slider feeding member in the form of a slider elevator 59, the lower end of which is connected with a piston rod 60 of a pneumatic cylinder 61, FIG. 3. The elevator 59 is of rectangular cross section and is constructed in its upper end face with a recess 62, FIGS. 7 and 8, of a shape to receive a slider 67 in a position, in which its lateral slits are horizontal and located immediately above said end face, while its pulling tab 65, which In the top position of the elevator 59 the upper face of the slider 67 engages'the lower edge of the cam 41, FIGS. 9 and 10, and the grooves 63 and 64 of the sliders 67 are located at the level of the beads 71 and 72 of the tapes 14 and 15. Ordinarily, the beads 71 and 72 have a thickness such that a certain force is necessary to press them laterally into the grooves 63 and 64 of the slider 67.

On the lower frame part 3 there is also provided a mechanism for releasing the spring-loaded lock of the slider 67. This lock is of the type, which is released by pulling the ring 66. The lock is not shown in the drawing. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mechanism comprises a releasing finger 73 mounted on a transversely extending bar 74. The releasing finger 73 has an inclined underface 75 and a pointed end. The rod 74 is attached to an arm 76, which is pivotable in a vertical plane about a pivot 77 mounted on the lower frame part 3. When the arm 76 is rotated upwards, i.e. in the anticlockwise direction, the releasing finger 73 is introduced into the ring 66 when the slider 67 is in position between the tapes 14 and I5 and the inclined underface 75 is engaged with the ring 66. One end of a pulling spring 78 is attached to a pin 79 on the lower frame part 3, while its other end engages a lug 80 on the arm 76 in such a manner that the pulling spring 78 tends to move the releasing finger 73 into the ring 66. At the lower end of the arm 76 there is provided an abutment surface 81 near the pivot 77 and on the opposite side of the latter than the lug 80. The abutment surface 81 cooperates with an abutment surface 82 of a rocking arm 83, which is pivotable in the same vertical plane as the arm 76 about a pivot 84. The other end of the rocking arm 83 is pivotably connected with a piston rod 85of a pneumatic cylinder 86. MOvement of the piston rod 85 causes the rocking arm 83 to rotate. By this rotation, the abutment surface 82 is caused to engage the abutment surface 81 and when the movement of the piston rod 85 is continued further downwards the releasing finger 73 is moved into the ring 66.

In the lower frame part 3 there is formed a cylinder 87,,

FIGS. 1 and 2, one end of which is constructed with a bore 88. A rod 89 extends through the bore 88 and has one of its ends in engagement with the transverse bar 74. The movement of the rod 89 in the direction towards the bar 74is limited by a collar 90, which engages the bottom of the cylinder 87. A compression spring 91 is provided around the rod 89 within the cylinder 87, one end of said compression spring engaging the collar and its other end engaging a plug 92 inserted into the cylinder 87, said plug having a bore 93 through which the other end 94 of the rod 89 extends. The movement of the rod 89 in the opposite direction is limited by a stop 95 mounted on the lower frame part 3. The pulling spring 78 is relatively weak and only serves to keep the rod 74 in engagement with the end of the bar 88.

OPERATION It is assumed that a slider application cycle has been completed and the slide fastener blank is then fed forward through the machine. The feeding direction is to the right in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4,5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13,14, 15 and 16 and away from the observer in FIGS. 7 and 10.

In FIG. 4, the bottom stop 96 of the slide fastener, to which a slider 67 has just been applied, is entering the groove 45, see FIG. 2. Hereby the guiding block 43 is turned about the pin 44 and the switch 47 is closed. Thereby an initiating pulse for the program device is released.

After a predetermined time delay the coupling 56 is disengaged and the electric brake 57 is activated, whereby the feeding movement of the slide fastener blank is stopped. As a consequence of the time delay, the blank is stopped only when the bottom stop 96 has moved completely through the apparatus, see FIG. 5. In this position, no fastening members are present in the zone of the primary spreading device 8 and the secondary spreading finger 7, which are both located in their upper positions, the spreading device 8 being in closed position. The key member 38 is located outside the spreading device 8. The elevator 59 is in its bottom position. The releasing finger 73 is in its lower position.

Compressed air is supplied to the cylinder 23 and the spreading device 8 is moved downwards to its bottom position, see FIGS. 6 and 7. The legs 16 and 17 are still closed together.

Compressed air is then supplied to the cylinder 36, whereby the front end 40 of the key member 38 and also the cam 41 are moved in between the guiding faces 31 and 32 of the legs of the tape-spreading device 8, which is still closed, see-FIG. 8.

Compressed air is now supplied to the cylinder 61, whereby the elevator 59 with a slider 67 is moved upwards, see FIGS. 9, and 11. The upper face of the slider 67 engages the edge 30 of the spreading device 8, which is thereby pushed upwards. By the engagement of the guiding faces 34 and 35 with the front end 40 of the key member 38, the legs 16 and 17 are rotated outwards about their pivots 18 and 19. Thereby the tapes 14 and are spread apart. The upward movement of the elevator 59 is stopped by the cam 41, which together with the elevator 59 holds the slider 67 in position. The beads 71 and 72 now engage the margins of the slider 67, but owing to their thickness they do not penetrate into the grooves 63 and 64 of the slider 67.

Compressed air is supplied to the cylinder 86, whereby the releasing finger 73 is moved into the ring 66, which is thereby pulled downwards by the inclined bottom face of the releasing finger 73, see H6. 12. The spring lock of the slider 67 is thereby released.

The brake 57 is disengaged and the driving rollers 51, 52, 53 and 54 are restarted to feed the slide fastener blank forwards. Thereby the tapes 14 and 15 are tensioned to cause the beads 71 and 72 to penetrate into the grooves 63 and 64 of the slider 67, see FIG. 13. The slider 67 is still held in position by the cam 41 and the elevator 59.

On continuation of the feeding movement of the slide fastener blank, the first fastening member approaches the heart piece 70 of the slider 67, see FIG. 14, and when this occurs compressed air is supplied to the cylinder 11 whereby the spreading finger 7 is moved downwards, see FIGS. 15 and 16, whereby, its wedge-shaped edge. 12 forces the tapes further apart to disengage the first pair of fastening members of the slide fastener so that the rows of fastening elements may now slide along opposite sides of the heart piece 70 of the slider 67.

When a certain number of fastening members have passed through the slider 67, the key member 38, the primary spreading device 8, the secondary spreading bar 7, the rocking arm 83 and the elevator 59 are restored to their starting positions. By the downward movement of the elevator 59 the slider 67 is set free and will therefore be carried along with the slide fastener.

The abutment surfaces 81 and 82, see FIG. 1, are at this time no longer engaged and the compression spring 91, which is stronger than the pulling spring 78, causes the arm 76 to rotate downwards, whereby the releasing finger 73 is disengaged from the ring 66. Since the bottom face 75 of the releasing finger 73 is inclined there is no danger ofjamming of the releasing finger 73 in the ring 66. In this manner the slider is locked to the slide fastener.

The next slider application cycle is started when the bottom stop of the slide fastener engages and turns the guiding block 43.

Many modifications are possible without departing from the invention. E.g. the initiating pulse may be released by the height dimension of the bottom stop instead of its width dimension. Hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, electric motors or other known means may be used for producing the movements, and the chain drive may be replaced by other transmission means. With small modifications the machine may be used for other types of sliders.

'I claim:

1. Machine for applying sliders to a slide fastener blank in the form of a pair of continuous tapes carrying pairs of interlocking rows of fastening elements, said pairs of rows being arranged with free intervals therebetween where no fastening elements are provided, said machine comprising means for longitudinally moving a slide fastener blank in a substantially rectilinear path, means for immobilizing said blank in a position where a free interval of said blank is present in an operating zone, a pair of spreading legs movable transversely of the plan of said blank in between the tapes present in said operating zone and then spreadable apart, said spreading legs being placed side by side and having wedge-shaped ends suitable, when lying close together, for penetrating through the slit between said tapes, slider feeding means for moving a slider into position between said tapes when spread apart and for holding said slider in said position, means for thereafter restarting the longitudinal movement of said blank, thereby forcing said tapes into the lateral slits of said slider, and means for temporarily spreading said tapes further apart ahead of said slider, said spreading legs being mounted in a vertical position above the path of movement of said blank through said operating zone, and said slider feeding means comprising a vertically movable slider elevator mounted below the path of movement of said blank through said operating zone.

2. Machine as in claim 1, in which said spreading legs are provided on their inner sides with cam faces, key means being provided for introduction between said cam faces to cause spreading of said spreading legs upon upward movement of same.

3. Machine as in claim 2, in which yieldable operating means are provided for moving said spreading legs downwards to cause their wedge-shaped ends to penetrate through the slit between said tapes, said slider elevator having an upper end face with a recess to receive a slider in a positionsuch that the lateral slits of said slider are located immediately above said end face, said elevator being movable upwards to engage the upper face of a slider present in said recess first with the wedge-shaped ends of said spreading legs to push same upwards and at the same time to cause said legs to be spread apart by engagement of said cam faces with said key means, and then with a stop provided on said key means to cause said slider to be held between said elevator and said stop.

4. Machine as in claim 3 for use with sliders having a spring lock, comprising a spring lock releasing member engageable with the spring lock of a slider held between said elevator and said stop, thereby to release said spring lock.

5. Machine as in claim 3, in which said means for temporarily spreading said tapes further apart comprise a spreading finger introducible between said tapes at a small distance from the front end of a slider held between said elevator and said stop. 

1. Machine for applying sliders to a slide fastener blank in the form of a pair of continuous tapes carrying pairs of interlocking rows of fastening elements, said pairs of rows being arranged with free intervals therebetween where no fastening elements are provided, said machine comprising means for longitudinally moving a slide fastener blank in a substantially rectilinear path, means for immobilizing said blank in a position where a free interval of said blank is present in an operating zone, a pair of spreading legs movable transversely of the plan of said blank in between the tapes present in said operating zone and then spreadable apart, said spreading legs being placed side by side and having wedge-shaped ends suitable, when lying close together, for penetrating through the slit between said tapes, slider feeding means for moving a slider into position between said tapes when spread apart and for holding said slider in said position, means for thereafter restarting the longitudinal movement of said blank, thereby forcing said tapes into the lateral slits of said slider, and means for temporarily spreading said tapes further apart ahead of said slider, said spreading legs being mounted in a vertical position above the path of movement of said blank through said operating zone, and said slider feeding means comprising a vertically movable slider elevator mounted below the path of movement of said blank through said operating zone.
 2. Machine as in claim 1, in which said spreading legs are provided on their inner sides with cam faces, key means being provided for introduction between said cam faces to cause spreading of said spreading legs upon upward movement of same.
 3. Machine as in claim 2, in which yieldable operating means are provided for moving said spreading legs downwards to cause their wedge-shaped ends to penetrate through the slit between said tapes, said slider elevator having an upper end face with a recess to receive a slider in a position such that the lateral slits of said slider are located immediately above said end face, said elevator being movable upwards to engage the upper face of a slider present in said recess first with the wedge-shaped ends of said spreading legs to push same upwards and at the same time to cause said legs to be spread apart by engagement of said cam faces with said key means, and then with a stop provided on said key means to cause said slider to be held between said elevator and said stop.
 4. Machine as in claim 3 for use with sliders having a spring lock, comprising a spring lock releasing member engageable with the spring lock of a slider held between said elevator and said stop, thereby to release said spring lock.
 5. Machine as in claim 3, in which said means for temporarily spreading said tapes further apart comprise a spreading finger introduciblE between said tapes at a small distance from the front end of a slider held between said elevator and said stop. 